Helping Fort Worthians Plan for the Future: Lauren East of Ciera Bank

As one of the oldest banks in Texas (chartered 132 years ago in 1890), Ciera Bank continues to offer Texans a full range of banking services. Ciera Bank has grown to nine locations throughout North Texas, and has expanded its trust and wealth management services.
Enter Ciera Bank’s new trust officer, Lauren East.

Photo courtesy of Ciera Bank.

I recently sat down to talk with Lauren about her background, Ciera Bank, and Fort Worth.

Originally from Connecticut, Lauren comes to Ciera Bank from Frost Bank, where she served as a wealth advisor and trust administrator for eight-and-a-half years. Before coming to Fort Worth, she worked in investments and marketing for JP Morgan Chase & Co. in New York City.

“My husband and I were both in financial services in New York City,” Lauren said. “We were living in a little cramped apartment, but we knew we wanted to find a welcoming community to live in. We have both fallen in love with Fort Worth.” In fact, Lauren loves Fort Worth so much, she convinced her parents to relocate here.

Like many families, the Easts realized that Fort Worth is the perfect place to raise their children. “We have a six-year-old, a four-year-old, and a two-year-old,” Lauren said. “It’s a crazy house with so much activity, but we really love this community and the quality of life. It’s such a welcoming place.”

As Ciera Bank has expanded through the area, the bank’s leaders realized the need to also expand its commitment to trust services. As a trust officer, Lauren helps Fort Worthians make well-informed investment decisions, avoid (if possible) the time and cost of probate, and if not eliminate, then mitigate the burden of estate taxes.

Lauren knows that planning for the future can appear to be overwhelming, and she works hard to help her clients find the best solutions for their families. She explained, “My job is to help families preserve and grow their wealth for future generations. Each of our family clients has unique circumstances and needs, and my role is much like solving a complicated puzzle. I love identifying opportunities and providing trust services that provide long-term solutions.”

“Relationships” is a word that Lauren uses freely, and it seems to be an important theme throughout her life. From her volunteerism with the Junior League of Fort Worth to her clients, and to her family, Lauren values the relationships she has built in Fort Worth.

“Fort Worth is so focused on philanthropy and giving back to the community. That’s one of the reasons we love it here so much. I’m really excited to work with Ciera Bank and to help Ciera expand throughout the community that I love.”